7 Delicious pasta recipes to try at home

 After a week of working from home and managing that never-ending cycle of chores, the weekend is finally here. This means its finally time to catch a break, let loose and spend some quality time with your spouse. so why not make this weekend all about wine, bae, and Netflix, and you know what goes best with wine? you guessed it right, its Pasta! And in that spirit, we have rounded up a bunch of exciting, and fancy-tasting pasta recipes that are quite simple to make at home. So if you are looking for an ideal way to start the weekend on the right note with the old ball and chain, just keep reading.

1. Creamy Chicken Penne Pasta

Ingredients:

• 2 chicken breasts, sliced
• salt, to taste
• pepper, to taste
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 1 teaspoon red chili powder
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 cups spinach 
• 4 small tomatoes, diced
• 1 ½ cups cream (360 mL)
• 1 cup shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes, plus more for garnish
• 280 grams, cooked until al dente
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves, for garnish

Instructions:

• In a fairly deep skillet, add the chicken and season with salt, pepper, Italian oregano, and paprika. Cook until no longer pink inside.
• Add the garlic and cook until softened.
• Add spinach and tomatoes and cook until the spinach is wilted.
• Add the cream, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes and bring to a boil.
• Add the penne and stir until fully coated in sauce.
• Serve with coriander leaves, Parmesan, and red pepper flakes, if desired. Enjoy! 

2. Toasted Farfalle With Thyme/Oregano Sauce Pasta

Ingredients:

• 225 grams farfalle pasta
• salt to taste
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 teaspoons fresh thyme or oregano
• pepper, to taste
• grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Instructions:

• Preheat the oven to 175˚C. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. or grease it with oil.
• Toast the pasta for 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
• Bring a large pot of water to boil over high-level heat, and season with salt.
• Add the toasted pasta to the water and cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until al dense. Reserve ½ cup of the pasta cooking water and drain the pasta. 
• In a small skillet, over medium heat, melt the butter. Add garlic, thyme, and pepper to it and cook until fragrant.
• Add the pasta to the sauce, along with the reserved water, and mix thoroughly to coat.
• Sprinkle with parmesan cheese. and enjoy.

3. Spinach Tomato Tortellini

Ingredients:

• 340 grams tortellini pasta 
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 4-5 tomatoes, diced
• 3 cups spinach, roughly chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme -optional
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, optional
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/4 cup grated Parmesan

Instructions:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; drain well.
• In a small bowl, whisk together heavy cream and flour; set aside.
• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant.
• Stir in tomatoes, spinach, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes, if using; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Cook while stirring occasionally until spinach begins to wilt (about 2 minutes).
• Gradually whisk in heavy cream mixture and Parmesan, and cook, whisking constantly until slightly thickened (about 3-4 minutes). Stir in tortellini and gently toss to combine everything well. Serve immediately.

4. Spaghetti Carbonara

Ingredients:

• 226 grams spaghetti
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 4 slices bacon, diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander leaves

Instructions:

• In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta according to package instructions; reserve 1/2 cup water and drain well.
• In a small bowl, whisk together eggs and Parmesan; set aside.
• Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy (about 6-8 minutes).
• Stir in garlic until fragrant, about 1 minute. Reduce heat to low.
• Working quickly, stir in pasta and egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Add reserved pasta water, one tablespoon at a time, until desired consistency is reached.
• Serve immediately, garnished with coriander leaves, if desired.

5. Easy Homemade Pesto Pasta 

Ingredients:

450 grams spaghetti or any other favorite noodles

1 garlic cloves

1/2 cup toasted almonds

2 cups fresh basil leaves washed and stemmed and finely packed

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese plus more for garnish

1/2 lemon juiced

1/2 teaspoon salt

fresh ground black pepper

Cherry tomatoes

Instructions:

Cook the pasta in a large pot of salted boiling water according to package directions or until al dente. Drain the pasta and reserve 1 cup of the cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, add the roughly chopped garlic, toasted almonds, and finely grated parmesan cheese to a food processor and process until smooth. Then, add in the basil. Pulse a few times until chopped then let it run as you drizzle the olive oil into the processor as it runs until emulsified. Season with salt and black pepper, give a squeeze of lemon juice, and process again until combined. Taste for seasoning and adjust to your liking.

Toss the hot pasta with the pesto in a large bowl and add reserved cooking water ¼ cup at a time or until saucy. Top with the cherry tomatoes and season with more salt and pepper if desired and garnish with more parmesan cheese.

6. Roasted Red Pepper Mac & Cheese

Ingredient:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion, diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¾ cup raw cashew (100 g), soaked in water for two hours
• 1 red pepper, roasted
• 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast or 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste
• 1 ½ tablespoons cornstarch
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika or red chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• ½ teaspoon turmeric
• 2 cups vegetable broth (480 mL)
• 225 grams dry pasta cooked

Instructions:

• In a medium-sized pot add olive oil and onion and cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until semi-translucent.
• Add garlic and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Transfer onion and garlic to blender. Add the soaked cashews, red pepper, nutritional yeast/soy sauce, tomato paste, cornstarch, salt, paprika, ground mustard, turmeric, and vegetable broth, and blend until smooth.
• Transfer sauce back into the pot and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes.
• Add pasta to the pot and stir until sauce is evenly distributed.
• Top with smoked paprika and serve immediately. Enjoy!

7. Pizza Lasagna

Ingredients:

• 455 grams sausage
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1 ½ cups bell pepper, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 cups pizza sauce
• 12 lasagna noodles, cooked
• 170 grams pepperoni, sliced
• 1 cup fresh basil leaves
• 3 cups mozzarella cheese (345 g)
• 3 cups ricotta cheese (750 g)

Instructions:

• Over medium-high heat, cook the sausage until browned, then remove from pan and set aside.
• In the same pan, cook onion until translucent, then add bell peppers and garlic. Cook until the veggies are soft, about 10 minutes. Set aside.
• Preheat oven to 190ºC.
• In a  baking dish, begin to assemble the lasagna by spreading a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of the pan.
• Then, layer ingredients in the following order: noodles, ricotta, sausage, veggies, mozzarella, sauce, noodles, ricotta, pepperoni, basil, mozzarella, sauce, noodles, marinara, mozzarella, veggies, sausage, and pepperoni.
• Place pan on a sheet tray and bake for 45-55 minutes, or until bubbling and starting to brown around the edges.  Enjoy!

FAQs

Q1: How to make vegetable broth for the Red pepper Mac & Cheese recipe?

A: Veggie broth is just the leftover flavored liquid you get after simmering veggies in boiling water for quite some time. Onions, carrots, and celery are always the base of a good vegetable broth but you can add any leftover vegetables and herbs you want/like.

Q2: What substitute can be used in place of ricotta cheese in the Pizza Lagna recipe?

A: As far as ricotta substitutes go, paneer or cottage cheese is your best bet. In fact, some people prefer to use cottage cheese because it has a similar flavor and fewer calories. 

Q3: How to pre-heat my Microwave?

A: You need to place a slatted rack that comes with a microwave to pre-heat it. Now, choose the convection option. Once you set it on the convection mode, your microwave’s digital display will reflect the minimum temperature setting available, you can just increase or decrease it according to your requirement and press start.